A court convicted Powell of capital murder in 2000. The Virginia Supreme Court overturned that verdict, declaring Powell’s actions two separate crimes and therefore ineligible for the death penalty.

While awaiting a second trial for capital murder, Powell sent Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul B. Ebert a letter including information later used to convict him.

A second jury recommended the death penalty in May 2003.

RICHMOND

Ex-deputy gets prison over child porn

A former Hanover County sheriff’s deputy was sentenced yesterday to 10 years and one month in federal prison for receiving child pornography.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Gary Alan Rinehults, of Mechanicsville, pleaded guilty to the charge on July 24.

The plea came after investigators found dozens of images depicting child pornography on his home computer.

Court documents state that the search was conducted in October 2004 after authorities were tipped that Rinehults, who was a deputy at the time, was sexually assaulting his adoptive daughter, who was a minor.

He pleaded guilty in that case and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Montgomery County fire officials said the incident occurred at about 5 p.m. when a Honda sport utility vehicle ran into the 7-Eleven store in the 14100 block of Georgia Avenue.

Two persons were in the vehicle, and as many as 10 customers were in the store, along with three employees.

None of the customers was hurt, but all three workers were sent to hospitals with minor injuries.

Police are investigating the cause.

BALTIMORE

Killer walks away from prison complex

A convicted murderer is at large after he walked away from the state prison complex.

The Division of Correction said Henry Bryant, 41, was serving a nine-year, two-month sentence for homicide and drug convictions. He was scheduled to be released in July 2008.

Authorities said Bryant was working an outside detail at the Metropolitan Transition Center, where he was being held. A correctional officer discovered after lunch that Bryant was not accounted for, and he was deemed a walk-off at 2:30 p.m. yesterday.

He could face an additional 10 years in prison if convicted of escape.

BALTIMORE

Fire cadet dies during training drill

A fire cadet died yesterday after collapsing during a training exercise, a fire official said.

Rachael Wilson, 29, was rushed about noon from the training site in West Baltimore to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center, said Chief Kevin Cartwright, a spokesman for the Baltimore fire department.

Two other firefighters were injured when they went to Cadet Wilson’s aid, he said.

The exercise involved setting a fire in a three-story vacant row house.

Cadet Wilson was the mother of an 11-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter, Chief Cartwright said. She joined the firefighter paramedic class in November and was set to graduate next month.

HAGERSTOWN

Cloned cow saved from slaughter for now

A cloned dairy cow at the center of a family business dispute has been saved from the slaughterhouse for now, the animal’s cash-strapped owner said yesterday.

Rural Williamsport farmer Gregory C. Wiles said the 6-year-old Holstein named Genesis and 51 other cattle from his herd will be placed on two nearby farms under a plan to settle his nearly $7,600 debt to his father without having the clone and her offspring sold for hamburger.

Mr. Wiles’ financial woes had threatened to force a sale of the clone for slaughter despite the U.S. food industry’s voluntary ban on products from cloned livestock pending the government’s expected approval of sales sometime in the next year.

DISTRICT

Second school to reopen Monday

Another school that was closed this week because of heating problems will reopen Monday, city school officials said yesterday.

Officials said the problems have been fixed at Ludlow-Taylor Elementary in Northeast. Simon Elementary in Southeast reopened yesterday with fully heated classrooms.

Private contractors will work with school maintenance crews this weekend to try to fix heating systems at Johnson Junior High in Southeast and H.D. Woodson Senior High in Northeast.